External electrical connection for a portable electronic device

ABSTRACT

A portable electronic device includes: a housing, a processor provided in the housing, a rechargeable power pack provided in the housing in communication with the processor, apertures extending through the housing, insulating portions of the housing being provided between the apertures, a location of the apertures being selected to map out a graphical element, electrical contacts in communication with the battery for charging the battery, the electrical contacts being sized to be received in the apertures and wherein the insulating portions are provided for insulating the electrical contacts from one another.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present embodiments relate to portable electronic devices havingexternal electrical connections for power and/or data transfer.

BACKGROUND

The rapid advancement of portable electronic device technology has seendevices become smaller while device functionality has increased. Thespeed at which new models are released is driven by the highlycompetitive portable electronic device market. In addition to includingthe latest features, portable electronic devices must be visuallyappealing in order to be successful products in the marketplace.

Most portable electronic devices include external connections forplugging in a recharger for a rechargeable power pack (such as a batterycharger), a USB cable or other auxiliary device. These externalconnections tend to detract from the sleek, streamlined look that isdesirable in most devices. Often, portable device manufacturers attemptto reduce the visual impact of the external connections by locating theconnections along device edges so that they are less noticeable.Further, some external connections may be vulnerable to the ingress offluid and solid particles, which can damage the portable electronicdevice or impair its functionality.

DRAWINGS

The following figures set forth embodiments in which like referencenumerals denote like parts. Embodiments are illustrated by way ofexample and not by way of limitation in the accompanying figures.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a portable electronic device according toan embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the portable electronic device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the portable electronic device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4A is a view of an outside surface of a battery door of theportable electronic device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4B is a view on 4B-4B of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5 is an exploded isometric view of a portion of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 6 is a view on 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the portable electronic device of FIG. 1received in an auxiliary cradle device;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the electrical connection of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a view of an outside surface of a battery door of a portableelectronic device according to another embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of electrical contacts of the portableelectronic device of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is an example of a portable electronic device according to theembodiment of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 12 is a view of a portion of an outside surface of a battery doorof the portable electronic device of FIG. 11 according to anotherembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In an aspect there is provided a portable electronic device including: ahousing; a processor provided in said housing; a rechargeable power packprovided in said housing in communication with said processor; aperturesextending through said housing, insulating portions of said housingbeing provided between said apertures, a location of said aperturesbeing selected to map out a graphical element; electrical contacts incommunication with said battery for charging said battery, saidelectrical contacts being sized to be received in said apertures;wherein said insulating portions are provided for insulating saidelectrical contacts from one another.

In another aspect there is provided a method of manufacturing a portableelectronic device including: forming apertures in a housing of theportable electronic device, the apertures being sized to receiveelectrical contacts that communicate with a power pack of the portableelectronic device, a location of the apertures being selected to map outa graphical element; wherein the apertures are spaced from one anotherso that the electrical contacts are insulated from each another.

Referring now to FIG. 1, components of a typical portable electronicdevice 10 according to an embodiment are generally shown. The portableelectronic device 10 includes data communication capabilities and maycommunicate with other electronic devices directly or through a wirelessnetwork. The portable electronic device 10 is based on the computingenvironment and functionality of a handheld computer, such as a wirelesspersonal digital assistant (PDA), for example. It will be understood,however, that the portable electronic device 10 is not limited to awireless personal digital assistant. Other portable electronic devicesare possible, such as cellular telephones, smart telephones, electronicmessaging devices, media players and laptop computers.

The portable electronic device 10 includes a number of componentsincluding processor 14, which controls the overall operation of thedevice 10. A communication subsystem 40 controls data and voicecommunication functions, such as email, PIN (Personal IdentificationNumber) message functions, SMS (Short Message Service) message functionsand cellular telephone functions, for example. The communicationsubsystem 40 is in communication with a wireless network 12, which maybe a data-centric wireless network, a voice-centric wireless network ora dual-mode wireless network.

In FIG. 1, the communication subsystem 40 is a dual-mode wirelessnetwork that supports both voice and data communications. Thecommunication subsystem 40 is configured in accordance with the GlobalSystem for Mobile Communication (GSM) and General Packet Radio Services(GPRS) standards. The communication subsystem 40 may alternatively beconfigured in accordance with Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE) orUniversal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS) standards. Otherwireless networks may also be associated with the portable electronicdevice 10, including Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) or CDMA2000networks. Some other examples of data-centric networks include WiFi802.11, Mobitex™ and DataTAC™ network communication systems. Examples ofother voice-centric data networks include Personal Communication Systems(PCS) networks like GSM and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)systems.

The wireless network 12 includes base stations (not shown) that providea wireless link to the portable electronic device 10. Each base stationdefines a coverage area, or cell, within which communications betweenthe base station and the portable electronic device 10 can be effected.It will be appreciated that the portable electronic device 10 is movablewithin the cell and can be moved to coverage areas defined by othercells. Data is delivered to the portable electronic device 10 viawireless transmission from the base station. Similarly, data is sentfrom the portable electronic device 10 via wireless transmission to thebase station.

The communication subsystem 40 further includes a short rangecommunications function, which enables the device 10 to communicatedirectly with other devices and computer systems without the use of thewireless network 12 through infrared or Bluetooth™ technology, forexample.

Prior to the portable electronic device 10 being able to send andreceive communication signals over the wireless network 12, networkregistration or activation procedures must have been completed. In orderto enable network communication, a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card24 is inserted into a card interface 26. The SIM card, or Removable UserIdentity Module card, is used to identify the user of the mobile device,store personal device settings and enable access to network services,such as email and voice mail, for example, and is not bound to aparticular portable electronic device 10.

The processor 14 is also connected to a Random Access Memory (RAM) 16and a flash memory 18. An operating system and device software aretypically stored in flash memory 18 and are executable by the processor14. Some device software components may alternatively be stored in RAM16. The portable electronic device 10 includes computer executableprogrammed instructions for directing the portable electronic device 10to implement various applications. Some examples of applications thatmay be stored on and executed by the device 10 include: electronicmessaging, games, calendar, address book and music player applications.Software applications that control basic device operation, such as voiceand data communication, are typically installed during manufacture ofthe device 10. For devices that do not include a SIM card 24, useridentification information may be programmed into the flash memory 18.The flash memory 18 may alternatively be a persistent storage, aRead-Only Memory (ROM) or other non-volatile storage.

Referring also to FIG. 2, the processor 14 receives input from variousinput devices including a keypad 38 and other input devices 36. Thekeypad 38 may be a complete alphanumeric keypad or telephone-typekeypad. The other input devices 36 may replace or complement the keypad38 to facilitate input and may include devices such as: single ormulti-function buttons, a touch screen, a mouse, a trackball, acapacitive touch sensor or a roller wheel with dynamic button pressingcapability. The portable electronic device 10 of FIG. 2 is shown by wayof example and it will be appreciated by a person skilled in the artthat many different device types, shapes and input device configurationsare possible.

The processor 14 outputs to various output devices including an LCDdisplay screen 20. A microphone 32 and speaker 22 are connected to theprocessor 14 for cellular telephone functions. A data port 34 isconnected to the processor 14 for enabling data communication betweenthe portable electronic device 10 and another computing device. The dataport 34 may include data lines for data transfer and a supply line forcharging a rechargeable power pack or an element thereof. In general,the power pack is in communication with power-consuming components ofthe portable electronic device 10, that is, the power pack is capable ofsupplying power to power-consuming components. A power pack may includeone or more power elements, such as a fuel cell or a supercapacitor orone or more rechargeable batteries (which may or may not beuser-replaceable). A typical kind of rechargeable power pack includes arechargeable battery, so for purposes of simplicity, the power pack willbe referred to as a battery 30 of the portable device 10. Batteryinterface 28 is provided for receiving one or more rechargeablebatteries 30. Alternately, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, thedata port 34 is usable for data transfer only and a charging interface44 is provided to allow for charging of battery 30.

The portable electronic device 10 is operable in a data communicationmode and a voice communication mode. In the data communication mode, areceived data signal representing information such as a text message, anemail message, a media file to be transferred, or web page download isprocessed by the communication subsystem 40 and input to the processor14. The processor 14 further processes the signal and renders images fordisplay on the display screen 20. Alternatively, the processed signalsmay be output to another computing device through the data port 34. Inorder to transmit information in the data communication mode, the userof the portable electronic device 10 composes information fortransmission, such as email messages, for example, using the keypad 38and other input devices 36 in conjunction with the display screen 20.The composed information is transmitted through the communicationsubsystem 40 over the wireless network 12 or via short rangecommunications. Operation of the portable electronic device 10 in thevoice communication mode is similar to the data communication mode,however, the received signals are output to the speaker 22, or anauxiliary device such as a headset or headphones, and signals fortransmission are generated by the microphone 32. The portable electronicdevice 10 may also include other voice subsystems, such as a voicemessage recording subsystem, for example.

Only a limited number of device subsystems have been described. It willbe appreciated by a person skilled in the art that additional subsystemscorresponding to additional device features may also be connected to theprocessor 14.

Referring to FIG. 3, the battery charging interface 44 of the portableelectronic device 10 (which is not necessarily the same as the batteryinterface 28) is accessible via a battery door 50. That is, power may bedelivered to the battery charging interface 44, part of which may bevisible or contactable through one or more apertures 64 in the batterydoor 50, as shown in FIG. 4B, and it is generally not necessary for auser to open or remove the battery door 50 to use the battery charginginterface 44. The battery door 50 forms part of a housing 48 of theportable electronic device 10. The battery door 50 includes an outersurface 54 and an inner surface 58. The apertures 64 are formed in thebattery door 50 by a suitable manufacturing method, such as molding orhole punching, for example.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the battery charging interface 44 includesfirst electrical contacts 60, which provide a first current path andsecond electrical contacts 62, which provide a second current path. Thefirst current path is electrically insulated from the second currentpath. Each of the first electrical contacts 60 and the second electricalcontacts 62 includes an outer portion 66, which is accessible fromoutside of the housing 48, and an inner portion 68, which communicateswith internal components of the portable electronic device 10. Thebattery door 50 includes apertures 64, which are shown in FIG. 5, thatare shaped to receive the outer portions 66 of the first and secondelectrical contacts 60, 62.

As shown, the apertures 64 map out a graphical element 55, which isvisible on the rear side of the device 10. The outer portions 66 of thefirst and second electrical contacts 60, 62 are shaped to be received inthe apertures 64 to define the graphical element 55. The graphicalelement 55 may be a logo, a registered trademark or any word, symbol orcombination thereof that is associated with the device 10. In general,the logo is provided to identify the manufacturer and/or brand of theportable electronic device 10 while adding aesthetically to theappearance thereof. By splitting the metal of a single graphical element55 into two or more parts, each part is able to act as an independentelectrical conductor.

Referring to FIG. 6, the outer portion 66 of the electrical contacts 60,62 includes a first layer 70 and a second layer 72. The materials of thefirst layer 70 and second layer 72 are selected in order to enable agood electrical connection with an auxiliary battery charging device. Inone embodiment, the second layer 72 is made of nickel, the first layer70 is made of gold plating and the inner portion 68 of the electricalcontacts 60, 62 is made of a metal substrate. The first electricalcontacts 60 are insulated from the second electrical contacts 62 byinsulating portions 65 of the housing 48. As shown, insulating portions65 of the battery door 50, which is made of a non-conductive material,such as plastic, for example, provide insulation between the first andsecond electrical contacts 60, 62. As will be appreciated by a personskilled in the art, other conductive materials may alternatively be usedfor the charging interface 44 and other non-conductive materials may beused for the battery door 50. The electrical contacts 60, 62 may bemanufactured using any suitable manufacturing method including: metalinjection molding, stamping, forging or other custom manufacturingmethod, for example.

In one embodiment, the gold plating is colored. In this embodiment, thelogo of the charging interface 44 is white, yellow, black, green, red orany combination thereof. It will be appreciated by a person skilled inthe art that other colors and combinations of colors are also possible.

The apertures 64 of the housing 48 are sized to receive the outerportions 66 of the first and second electrical contacts 60, 62 andprovide a seal therebetween. The seal limits ingress of fluid or solidparticles into the housing 48 of the portable electronic device 10. Inone embodiment, an interference fit is provided between the apertures 64and the outer portions 66 to provide a seal. In another embodiment, thecharging interface 44 is insert molded and includes plastic moldedaround the first and second electrical contacts 60, 62. In still anotherembodiment, the charging interface 44 is assembled with an adhesive orsilicone potting to provide a seal.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 8, the inner portions 68 of the firstand second electrical contacts 60, 62 communicate with the battery 30.The electrical connection between the first and second electricalcontacts 60, 62 and the battery 30 occurs through discrete contacts,selective plating, PCBs (Printed Circuit Board), wires or any othersuitable manner that is known in the art.

In operation, the user places the portable electronic device 10 in acharging dock 46 when charging of the battery 30 is desired, as shown inFIG. 7. When properly positioned in the charging dock 46, the batterycharging interface 44 of the portable electronic device 10 communicateswith the electrical contacts 45 of the charging dock 46 to allow forcharging of the battery 30. As shown in FIG. 8, one of the first andsecond electrical contacts 60, 62 is coupled to a positive terminal ofthe battery 30 and the other of the first and second electrical contacts60, 62 is coupled to a negative terminal of the battery 30 to charge thebattery 30.

The charging dock 46 shown in FIG. 7 is a cradle-type charging dock inwhich the portable electronic device 10 is received in a semi-uprightposition. It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art thatother types of charging docks are also possible. The electrical contacts45 of the charging dock 46 may be pogopins, leaf springs, or anothersuitable type of contact to allow for contact with the charging dock 46.It will further be appreciated by a person skilled in the art thatalthough a charging dock 46 is shown, other types of auxiliary chargingdevices may alternatively be used to charge the battery.

The electrical contacts 60, 62 are shown as being flush with the outersurface 54 of the housing 48. The electrical contacts 60, 62 mayalternatively protrude from said housing 48 or be recessed in saidhousing 48. The auxiliary charging device would similarly includerecessed or protruding electrical contacts for mating with the charginginterface 44.

Referring to FIG. 9, a battery door 150 according to another embodimentof a portable electronic device is generally shown. As shown, charginginterface 144 has a similar appearance to the charging interface 44 ofFIG. 2, however, includes seven electrical contacts 160, 162, 180, 182,184, 186 and 188. Each of the seven electrical contacts 160, 162, 180,182, 184, 186 and 188 includes a current path that is electricallyinsulated from the current paths of the other electrical contacts 160,162, 180, 182, 184, 186 and 188 by the battery door 150. The electricalcontacts 160, 162, 180, 182, 184, 186 and 188 include an outer portion,an inner portion and are generally similar in construction to theelectrical contacts 60 and 62 of the embodiment of FIG. 3.

The charging interface 144 of FIG. 9 is provided in communication withthe battery 30 and the data port 34 and is capable of both power anddata transfer. As shown in FIG. 10, electrical contacts 160 and 162 areprovided in electrical communication with the battery 30 in order toenable charging thereof. Electrical contacts 180, 182, 184, 186 and 188are provided in communication with the data port 34 in order to enabledata transfer to and from the portable electronic device 10. Forexample, the electrical contacts 180, 182, 184, 186 and 188 may beconfigured as a 5-pin USB connector. As is know in the art, the 5-pinUSB connector may be used to transfer data between the portableelectronic device and an auxiliary device, such as a computer, forexample. In one embodiment, the data port 34 is eliminated and theelectrical contacts that are in direct communication with processor 14.

In one example, the portable electronic device 100 is a flip-type devicethat is stored in a closed position, which shown in FIG. 11, andoperable in an open position (not shown) in which a primary displayscreen and keyboard are visible. The charging interface 144 includesseven electrical conductors that are arranged in the shape of aBlackberry™ logo. The Blackberry™ logo of FIG. 11 includes seven slantedquadrilaterals having rounded corners on a leading edge thereof.

In another embodiment, which is shown in FIG. 12, two electricalcontacts 160, 162 are provided. Each of the two electrical contacts 160,162 includes a single inner portion 168 and multiple outer portions 166,which are shaped to be received in apertures of the housing. Theapertures map out the Blackberry™ logo of FIG. 11. In this embodiment,the electrical contacts 160, 162 communicate with positive (+) andnegative (−) terminals of the battery 30 to allow for charging thereof.

Although embodiments of the portable electronic device including twoelectrical contacts and seven electrical contacts have been shown, itwill be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that portableelectronic devices having any number of electrical contacts may beprovided. For example, a 4-pin, 10-pin or 16-pin USB connector may beprovided. It will further be appreciated that the embodiments describedmay be applied to any logo that may be divided into two or more parts toprovide two or more individual electrical connections to the portableelectronic device.

Although the charging interface 44, 144 has been described are beingaccessible through a battery door 50, 150, it will be appreciated by aperson skilled in the art that the charging interface 44, 144 mayalternatively be provided on a front surface of said portable electronicdevice 10 or any other location where a logo may be provided. Inaddition, the portable electronic device 10 need not include a batterydoor. In one embodiment, the battery charging interface 44, 144 may beaccessible through a rear panel, a front panel or a side panel of thehousing. In a further embodiment, there may be no user-operable panel oropening for replacement of the battery, as the battery would besubstantially permanently mounted in the portable electronic device 10.

The integration of the electrical contacts of the charging interface 44,144 into a logo of a portable electronic device 10 allows the portableelectronic device 10 to have a sleek, streamlined appearance. In thisway, an element that may have cosmetic function may also have convenientutility function as well. In addition, the part count of the portableelectronic device 10 may be reduced, which reduces manufacturing costand production time.

A further possible advantage of the described embodiments is that whenpower and/or data are transferred via the charging interface 44,144instead of including open electrical connections, the charging interface44, 144 of the portable electronic device 10 is environmentally sealed.In general, environmentally sealed means that the internal components ofthe product are protected from the conditions under which the product isused. Conditions experienced by the portable electronic device 10 mayinclude: rain, submersion in water, humidity, dust and dirt, forexample. The charging interface 44, 144 allows the portable electronicdevice 10 to be rated according to Ingress protection (IP) standardsthat measure the amount of protection that a product offers fromexternal liquid or solid particles.

Specific embodiments have been shown and described herein. However,modifications and variations may occur to those skilled in the art. Allsuch modifications and variations are believed to be within the scopeand sphere of the present embodiments.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A portable electronic device comprising: ahousing; a processor provided in the housing; a rechargeable power packprovided in the housing in communication with the processor; aperturesextending through the housing, insulating portions of the housing beingprovided between the apertures, a location of the apertures beingselected to map out a graphical element; electrical contacts incommunication with the rechargeable power pack for charging therechargeable power pack, the electrical contacts being sized to bereceived in the apertures; wherein the insulating portions are providedfor insulating the electrical contacts from one another.
 2. A portableelectronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrical contactsare in communication with the processor for data transfer with anauxiliary device.
 3. A portable electronic device as claimed in claim 1,wherein the graphical element is a logo.
 4. A portable electronic deviceas claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrical contacts protrude from thehousing.
 5. A portable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe electrical contacts are recessed in the housing.
 6. A portableelectronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a seal is providedbetween the apertures and the electrical contacts.
 7. A portableelectronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrical contactsinclude a layer of colored gold plating.
 8. A portable electronic deviceas claimed in claim 1, wherein first ones of the electrical contactsprovide a first current path and second ones of the electrical contactsprovide a second current path, the first current path and the secondcurrent path being insulated from one another.
 9. A portable electronicdevice as claimed in claim 1, comprising: seven apertures extendingthrough the housing, each of the apertures having a quadrilateral shapewith a rounded leading edge and two electrical contacts in communicationwith the rechargeable power pack for charging the rechargeable powerpack, a first one of the two electrical contacts comprising three outerportions sized to be received in three of the seven apertures and asecond one of the two electrical contacts comprising four outer portionssized to be received in four of the seven apertures.
 10. A portableelectronic device as claimed in claim 1, comprising: seven aperturesextending through the housing, each of the apertures having aquadrilateral shape with a rounded leading edge, the seven apertures forreceiving seven electrical contacts, two of the seven electricalcontacts being in communication with the rechargeable power pack forcharging the rechargeable power pack and five of the seven electricalcontacts being in communication with the processor for transferring datato the portable electronic device.
 11. A method of manufacturing aportable electronic device comprising: forming apertures in a housing ofthe portable electronic device, the apertures being sized to receiveelectrical contacts that communicate with a power pack of the portableelectronic device, a location of the apertures being selected to map outa graphical element; wherein the apertures are spaced from one anotherso that the electrical contacts are insulated from each another.